Sikeston man admits to shooting romantic rival Tuesday, police say

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man accused of murdering a Morehouse, Mo., man confessed to shooting him, according to a statement from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Lee R. King II, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Tuesday shooting death of Richard Sterling, 37. King remained in Scott County Jail Thursday on a $250,000 bond.

A witness told police he saw King shoot Sterling with a shotgun from his vehicle in the Cronies Sports Bar & Grill parking lot Tuesday evening, police said. The witness also told police that King and Sterling had been having an ongoing argument over Sterling's ex-wife, according to the probable cause statement.

Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call about the shooting at about 9:30 p.m., the statement said. When officers arrived, they found Sterling lying on the ground just east of Cronies with numerous gunshot wounds to his face and upper body. Scott County Coroner Scott Amick pronounced Sterling dead at the scene.

The statement said King told authorities he had been constantly harassed by Sterling.

After having dinner with a friend Tuesday evening, King told police he returned to his home to find several messages on his cell phone from Sterling, the statement said.

King said he retrieved three 12-gauge shotgun shells from his bedroom, loaded a shot gun and drove to Cronies where he shot Sterling, the report said.